Does Japan still have Hello Kitty and what is it?

[daisylove]

Posted on another board but this may be a better one...

Now it is really hard for me to admit that there is any other characters in existence other than my beloved Disney characters.
Heck my daughter is named Daisy but... she has come home from pre-school with a fascination bordering upon obsessive for a character ( hmm she might get those traits from me ... maybe...) and it is not a Disney character per se but Hello Kitty. I think I can accept it as they were/are? sold in Epcot but I need recent confirmation of this. Thanks

By the way what is the story about Hello Kitty. Do they have videos, books? divine guidance?... what?

 

[jweiss]

I'm not an expert so don't quote me, but I don't think Hello Kitty is affiliated with Disney. The company name is Sanrio. We have Hello Kitty stores in all the malls here. I'm sure you could find all the info if you did a search. They do have videos and books, etc. It's a girly thing, school age mostly. They sell lots of cute little things.... pens, pencils, notepads. stickers, keychains, etc, etc

 

[BevS97]

they aren't disney characters, but they are massively popular in Japan so they are sold in the Japanese pavilion (at least they where last time we were there)

I'm not sure if there is a story behind them, but I know I used to buy Hello Kitty things when I was a little girl so they have been around for a while.

 

[JESW]

Yes, several Hello Kitty items at the store in Japan. I have a DD who is 5 and I know these things. In June she wanted the set with 2 (small) plush Hello Kitty dolls that look like Sleeping Beauty - they have other sets available. Some cute stuff there.

I also have a DS9 who is happy they have been getting more Pokemon items. There are also a few things from different Japanese movies such as Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away and others. (If you haven't seen these movies they are great!)

The store in Japan is our favorite and we usually spend quite a bit of time and $$$ there.

Jill

 

[prplcrzy]

Target has alot of Hello Kitty things. They have a whole section in the toy area, I think near the Polly Pocket stuff.

Nancy

 

[SueM in MN]

There is a large Hello Kitty area in the Japan shop.
Hello Kitty has been around for a long time. My oldest DD is 22 and got her first Hello Kitty stuff when she was about 2. It's not only little girls; you will see teens (and older) with Hello Kitty. I've even seen Hello Kitty wedding stuff for grown up girls who can't get enough. Besides Hello Kitty, there are lots of other cute little characters in the line.
Here's a link to the Sanrio site. Target has some of the Hello Kitty little playsets (similar to Polly Pocket type things), but they don't have the full supply of purses, pencils, little stuff or other characters that you would find at Epcot's Japan store or at a Sanrio store.

 

[wickidwitch]

DD 15 is a huge Hello Kitty fan. There is a store near us that sells nothing but Hello Kitty. She dragged me there today for back to school supplies - backpack, trapper, folders etc. We passed up complete bathroom and kitchen sets (ie: Toaster, mini refrigerator, shower curtain, salt and pepper shakers, etc). Her dream in life is to work in Tokyo Disney. She has taught herself Japanese with the computer and has also had a few sessions with a Japanese tutor. Two years ago she wanted to spend all her money on Hello Kitty stuff at the Japanese pavilion and I tried to convince her to buy "Japanese" souvenirs that she couldn't buy back home in Massachusetts. BTW a few weeks ago I got her Hello Kitty sneakers (real leather) on sale at Payless for $9.00.

 

[MinnieGi]

My DD (3yo) bought a few Hello Kitty items at the Japan store in Epcot when we were last there in Feb. They have quite a large selection. As others have mentioned Hello Kitty merchandise can be found at Target and card type stores in the mall like Carlton Cards. I know when I was growing up I also liked Hello Kitty!

 

[newtowdw1]

Hello Kitty is very popular with DD7 and DS3 likes the frog (kokoriko, I think). The values are cute and wholesome (videos at Sam's Club). Used to be shown on the Disney Channel a few (4/5) years back which began our obsession. She's been around for a LONG time. I have a friend that is 24 who was obsessed throughout her youth. I can't wait to see my daughter's face when she walks into the epcot store. Haven't told her about it yet!

 

[grlpwrd]

Hello Kitty just celebrated her 30th birthday, I believe.